Turning from the Path
by MagPie003
Summary: Audrey knows that Duke is only a few steps away from a very dark path.  Can she convince him to turn around before it's too late?  Spoilers for 2x10. Final chapter now up!
1. The Dark Path

She's in the forest again, gun in hand. Everyone has scattered save for Duke and Nathan. The two men trudge silently behind her, doing the best they can not to make eye contact. The tension between the two radiates in waves. Audrey knows that she should say something, but, lacks the strength for anything but the task at hand. Until they find and stop the wendigo, there's no time to make her boys hug it out. It's all she can do to keep following the path in front of her. Wait, that can't be right. Since when did the forest have paths? Yet, here they were, following an old dirt road into the middle of nowhere. This is different; it's wrong. Before she can point this out to Nathan and Duke, the path suddenly splits. To the right, it remains a dirt road through the forest. To the left, it veers towards a cave with an opening that appeared more carved than natural. Cold dread starts to knot into her stomach. This can't be right. The map she and Nathan reviewed before entering the forest said nothing about caves. Duke moves past her and walks a little ways towards the cave opening. As he shines a flashlight into the entrance they can see that it opens to a long tunnel. The split trail continues on and on into the darkness.

"I think that we should stay to the right." Audrey says, throat suddenly dry. As she looks warily at Duke the dread in her stomach spreads all over her body.

"Agreed." Nathan replies hoarsely behind her. Turning slightly, she can see that his gaze is fixed on Duke with a pained, knowing expression. Does Nathan feel the same thing?

"Duke?" Audrey calls. The man doesn't turn from the mouth of the cave. "Come on, Duke, let's stick to the path."

"I am sticking to my path." He says quietly as he proceeds toward the cave.

"Please, no!" She cries out, surprised by the desperation in her voice.

Tears start in her eyes but she doesn't understand why until Duke finally turns to face her. She's seen him angry, hurt, frightened, and out of control. However, she is completely unprepared for the dead, icy, glare shooting out of his eyes. Never had he been so devoid of the life and passion she'd come to appreciate in him. There was nothing behind those eyes; not even hate. Audrey knows that they've already lost him to whatever wants him to walk down that dark path. With a shrug that was so like Duke and not, he turns back and walks into the cave.

"Sorry, Audrey. This is where I get off."

Audrey woke with a start, tangled in blankets. There was no forest, no dark cave with a never ending tunnel, no paths appearing out of nowhere, no Duke looking like he was already dead. Just her bed, nightstand, sheets, and a heart about to leap out of her chest. She drew up her legs and rested her head on her knees. It was the same nightmare every night since they'd gone into the woods. There were other dreams too. They were terrible ones filled with death and blood. For some reason, the dream of the cave terrified her the most. Looking up, she saw that she'd gone to bed with all the lights on. Audrey sighed and shook her head at the memory of her childish plan. Why had she thought that the simple act of leaving the lights on would keep away bad dreams. What was she, four?

The clock on her stand told her it was only 1:00 AM. This time, the nightmares came only after two hours of sleep. While that was disconcerting, maybe she could calm herself down enough to fall back asleep for a few hours before her alarm sounded at seven. She needed a soothing distraction. Sighing again, she rose and stretched. Maybe some of that tea Laverne had given her a few weeks ago when she had a cold would do the trick.

A light knock on the door interrupted her walk to the kitchen. Who could be calling on her at this time of night? Nathan would've called her if they had a case. That left only one person and she wasn't sure she could face him right now. Audrey hesitated until the knocking started again. He wouldn't be here without a good reason. While she was upset with him, he was still her friend Resigned, she opened the door and ushered Duke in.


	2. The Gap

Duke stood on her threshold with an apologetic smile. It wasn't until Audrey stepped to the side with a 'come in' gesture that he finally crossed through the door. If Audrey didn't know any better, she'd have sworn that he was afraid of having the door slammed in his face.

"So, what brings you here at this time of night?" She asked, locking the door again.

"I was too wired to go home after closing. When I saw all your lights on, I decided to take a chance." He explained with another smile. "I was hoping that your 'open door' offer was, well, still open."

Audrey nodded in understanding. When Evie died, she had told Duke he could come to her day or night if he needed anything. At first, she didn't expect him to take the offer. Both she and Nathan had thought Duke would handle his grief with a week long bender where they would have to bail him out of the drunk tank at least twice. Therefore, it surprised her to find him asleep on her couch three mornings after the shootings. He'd let himself in using the spare keys he'd originally kept to her apartment for emergencies. The only explanation he gave when she was finally able to wake him was that it was raining and his bed still smelled like Evie. That was when she realized he'd been sleeping on the deck of the boat, afraid to go anywhere else because of the memories. Audrey used her day off to help him box up Evie's belongings. Then, she sent him to town for groceries while she stripped and aired out his stateroom. The two cartons of cupcakes she found with the rest of his groceries spoke of his gratitude in a way he couldn't vocalize.

The next day they all went into the woods and everything changed.

"It's not raining and you already picked up your comforter from the cleaner's." She reminded him softly.

"I know," he replied, "I guess I just wanted to see you. You haven't taken any drinks downstairs after your shift in awhile now."

"I've been a little busy. You understand." Audrey lied through tight lips. He nodded, accepting the lie for what it was.

"Go, sit down." She sighed, gesturing to the couch. "I'm going to make some tea."

Audrey filled two mugs with water and a teabag then placed them into the microwave. The banal task gave her something to steady her hands while her mind spun. Compassion and curiosity warred with the anger and pain inside her as she considered the man in her living room. She marveled at the idea that she let him through her door at all. Wasn't she still furious with him? Didn't she question his motives and sanity? Wasn't he the selfish bastard who so casually threw her and Nathan under the bus to get what he needed? Hadn't he criticized her for saving a life at the expense of his plans to find answers? Yet, there she was, making him tea in the middle of the night. After days of avoiding even the thought of him, save for when she slept, he was sitting on her couch like nothing ever happened.

"Maybe I'm the one who's flipped the crazy switch." She muttered as the microwave beeped. Spooning out the tea bags, she brought both mugs to the couch. She was careful to use the sleeves of her top to hold the handles.

"Thanks," Duke said, gingerly taking one of the hot mugs from her. Sitting at the opposite end, Audrey set her own mug on the arm of the couch and hugged a throw pillow to her chest like a shield. Seeing her defensive posture, Duke knew he'd made a mistake. What he couldn't decide was whether the mistake was waiting as long as he did, or, coming at all.

"I talked with Nathan this morning before he went to work." He ventured after a minute of thick silence.

"Really? What about?" She asked, surprised Nathan hadn't mentioned their conversation. He normally didn't pass up a chance to gripe about Duke.

"I needed to apologize to him. You know, for that whole sticking a rifle in his face while I was on my private undercover mission thing." He answered, sipping at his tea.

"Funny how that might bother someone." Audrey snorted, picking at a loose string on the pillow. "How did he take it?"

"Well, he called me an ass and an idiot who was playing with fire." Duke replied with a shrug that thinly covered the intensity of the topic. "But, he also accepted my lifetime offer of free beer at the Gull."

"Free beer heals all wounds, I guess." She quipped, taking up her mug. The tea was now cool enough to drink. In spite of everything, it did feel good to hear that he and Nathan had talked.

"Not all wounds, Audrey." He answered sadly. Audrey noted the dark circles under his eyes. Apparently he hadn't been getting any more sleep than she had. The part of her that cared warred again the angry and wounded parts.

"Please tell me you hadn't been thinking of offering me free drinks too." Audrey said coldly, trying to keep her mind in neutral. While she would hear him out, she wasn't about to make things any easier for him.

"I don't think that would get you talking to me again." Duke replied, setting his mug on the coffee table and shifting to face her. "Or, get you to stop avoiding me."

"What makes you think I'm doing either?"

"Come on, give me a little credit here." He chided, a familiar smile playing on his lips.

"Already tried that. It didn't seem to take." Audrey snapped as anger got the upper hand again. The pain that flickered in his dark eyes before he looked away told her she'd made a direct hit.

"I suppose I deserved that."

"No, you didn't." She protested, suddenly ashamed. Hurting him back wasn't nearly as satisfying as she'd anticipated.

"Yes, I did." He countered, meeting her eyes. "Maybe this was a mistake. I should have waited until the morning."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I was afraid I'd waited too long already. Look, I can take your anger. I can take your disappointment. Hell, I could even take you hating me. What I can't take is this!" He explained, gesturing to the length of the couch as if it was the gap that had grown between them. The desperation in his eyes moved her to pity.

"I don't hate you," Audrey admitted, "but, that doesn't mean I'm not angry."


	3. Closing the Gap

Duke nodded and waited for her to continue. After days of not wanting to talk to him, there was suddenly too much she wanted to say. Growing restless, Audrey rose and began to pace behind the coffee table.

"Did you know," she began, still pacing, "that the original plan was for Nathan and I to search alone?"

"No, I didn't."

"It was. With everything that had been happening, I couldn't trust anyone else at the station to not 'accidentally' shoot Nathan instead of the serial killer. Then, the boy's father and Dwight insisted on coming. I didn't know the father from an hole in the wall and I barely know Dwight." Audrey paused in her pacing to look directly at him. "I needed someone I could trust to help me watch Nathan's back and my own while we were out there."

"And that was when you called me?" He offered, thinking she expected him to say something.

"I called the one person in the whole damn town that I thought I could depend on." She spat out, emphasizing the word 'thought.' "Did you know that I was actually more worried for you than us when you turned me down? I was. There I am wandering through a forest with Nathan, two old guys, a Viking, and an irate father, looking for a serial killer, and I'm worried about you!"

"That doesn't make sense. Why would you be worried about me?"

"That you were shutting down. That I was going to find you passed out around a couple of empty bottles of whiskey." She explained, beginning to pace again. "I was there, hoping you wouldn't fall off your rust bucket boat in a stupor when out you step from behind a tree and level a gun at the same person I was calling on you to help me protect! Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

"Audrey," Duke pleaded, "I told you why-"

"Don't!" She ordered, pausing and pointing a finger in his direction. Her eyes began to shine with held back tears. "I am nowhere near finished. You wanted me to start talking and now you're going to hear me out!"

Duke nodded again and gestured for her to continue. Now was not the time to tell her what it had done to _him_ to not come through when she'd asked for help. It was the first time that he'd actually not come to her aid. Or, how sick he felt as the Rev smiled when he told Nathan he was seeing things clearly. Or, how the look of betrayal on her face had broken his heart. Now was the time for him to shut up and take whatever she threw at him.

"Since you brought up your amazing plan to buddy up to the Rev, let's go over that!" Audrey continued. "What the hell were you thinking? The man has made a career out of manipulating the people of this town. He's already shown that he's not above endangering and killing innocent people. Still, you go skipping into the woods behind this armed monster and the men who probably killed your wife!"

At 'wife', Duke flinched as if the word had physically struck him. The memory of Evie dying in his arms still haunted him at night. It probably would for the rest of his life. The anger began to drain from Audrey as she noted the stricken look on his face. Hurt and exhaustion replaced it as she slumped back onto the couch. After taking a breath and gathering the last of her energy, she continued.

"The worst part was when it was over. After I was told there would be an inquiry, I went to you. I don't know why now, but, I thought you were the one person there who wouldn't judge me for what I'd done."

"Instead, I was angry with you for pulling my plan apart." He added quietly. "I'm sorry. I had no right."

"It wasn't your anger that got to me. It was when you said that you didn't know if you would've chosen to save that little girl." Audrey finished scrubbing at the tears that started to fall. "I know you want answers, but, how far are you really willing to go?"

"Not so far that I do this to you."

"Duke, it's not me that you need to be concerned about, but, yourself." Audrey protested. "If you keep up like this you're going to go down a very dark path. One that you might not be able to turn from."

Duke felt the weight of his decisions and actions crushing him as he watched the tears continue down her face. Audrey, the woman with nerves of steel, was crying because of _him. _His single minded determination to save his skin almost cost him everything that made his life livable. Searching for his destiny nearly stripped him of who he was. Nothing was worth that; especially if it did this much damage to the people he cared for.

"Hey, come on, don't do that." He pleaded softly. Joining her on the opposite end of the couch, Duke wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. She stiffened momentarily before resting her head on his shoulder. The need for comfort outweighed her pride.

"If I lost you, I don't think I could take it." She whispered as the tears began to subside.

"You won't," he assured, "because I'm not going down any path you're not on."

"Promise me?" She asked hopefully, looking up at him.

"I promise." He replied, kissing her forehead. "Now, come on, you should get to bed."

"I don't want to." She argued, shaking her head. The clock on the wall only read 2:30 AM. That left too much of a window for REM. "If I sleep for too long, then the nightmares come back."

"You've been having nightmares? About the woods?" He asked, guilt slamming into him again like a truck.

"Yeah. They already woke me up once tonight. That's why I was up when you came by." She admitted, leaving out how she'd kept the lights on before.

"I could stay, you know." Duke offered. When she eyed him suspiciously he hastily added, "On the couch. I'd still be able to hear you moving around from over here if you had a nightmare. I'm a light sleeper and you move around a lot when you dream."

"How would you know?"

"It wouldn't be the first time I watched over you as you slept." He reminded gently, alluding to how they met. "Hey, at least this time you're sleeping in clothes."

"Okay." She agreed, smiling. Duke smiled back, helped her up, and guided her to the bed.

Once she was settled under the covers, he turned off all the lights. He had his suspicions as to why every light was on in the apartment, but, kept them to himself. Under lighter circumstances, it would be something to tease her with later. Now, it was another painful reminder of the damage he'd done. At least he could help her get a good night's sleep. That would be his first step onto the right path. He lay on the couch, listening to her breaths become more even. Only when he was certain she'd fallen into a steady sleep did he allow his eyes to close.


	4. Morning Light

Duke stood on the deck sipping his coffee while watching the sun rise. His ears were on the alert for any signs that his charge was stirring again. Around 4:30 AM, Audrey had started whimpering and twisting in her sleep. At first, he tried to wake her. When that didn't work, Duke sat on side of the bed stroking her hair and murmuring soothing words. Within moments, she calmed down. He pulled the covers back over her then sat back down to watch over her. Occasionally, he would pet her hair to make sure she stayed asleep. He finally rose and made coffee when it began to get light outside. Audrey never work. It amused him a little that someone who was constantly on the alert during the day could be such a sound sleeper at night.

It was disappointing to find that she didn't have any breakfast food in the kitchen. Or, much food of any kind for that matter. Someone didn't realize that woman cannot live on caffeine alone. They'd have a little chat about that at some point. It was tempting to duck out to the nearby diner to pick up some food. However, Duke wasn't budging until she woke. At least he would be sending her to Nathan with a cup or two of coffee in her.

At exactly 7:00 AM, Audrey's alarm chimed twice before she slammed the snooze button and rolled back over. Duke chuckled and went back to the little kitchen to fix her a cup of coffee. After all the time she and Nathan had spent in the Gull, he actually did know how she took her coffee. The alarm sounded again as he approached her bed before it received another punishing slam from Audrey. Setting down the coffee on the nightstand, he turned off the alarm and sat against the head board.

"Morning, sleepy-head, time to get up." Duke called softly, shaking her shoulder a bit.

Audrey offered a rather un-ladylike harrumph in reply before swatting at his hand. Duke chuckled again and gently poked at her side.

"Don't make me tickle you." He warned playfully. "Come on, I made coffee."

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" She yawned before finally shifting into a sitting position. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she accepted the hot mug from him with a sleepy smile.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I have all week." Audrey replied between sips. She smiled again. He actually did know how she took her coffee.

"Are you sure?" He pressed. "There was one point where you were moving around a lot."

"The dream changed before it got bad." She admitted quietly. Duke silently thanked whatever deities may have been listening at that moment that his attentions earlier had the desired affect.

"Are you going to be okay?" Duke asked.

"I think so. Thank you for staying."

"Thank you for _letting _me stay."

Much to his surprise, Audrey scooted back against the headboard to lean against his shoulder. Though he would rather be stuck in a cage match with Dwight than admit it, Duke had never been more relieved at human contact in his life. Carefully, he shifted to put his arm around her shoulder like he had the night before. The sat in comfortable silence as she finished her drink. Knowing that she needed to get on with her day, he finally asked the question that he'd been dreading.

"Audrey, are _we okay?"_

"Yeah, I think we are." She assured him, bumping her head against his shoulder. Duke let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and pulled her a little closer.

"I am so sorry." He whispered into her hair.

"I know."

"It…it never occurred to me that anyone would get hurt until it was too late. I was selfish and stupid-"

"And in a hell of a lot of pain. You're still dealing with losing Evie." She interrupted, turning to face him. "Duke, I of all people can understand how needing answers and wading through half truths can get to you."

"Yeah, but you've never used or hurt anyone to find your answers."

"It doesn't mean that I wouldn't be tempted too under the right circumstances." Audrey explained firmly. She smiled again and thumped his chest with her fingers. "Now stop beating yourself up, or, I'm going to be tempted to join in."

"Well I wouldn't want that." He agreed, smiling back. "Does this mean I get a second chance at being one of the good guys?"

"You got it." She promised, reaching over to kiss his cheek. "Now, go. Get some sleep. I need to get to work."

"New case?" Duke asked, moving off the bed.

"Sadly, no," she replied pulling a face, "I'm on desk duty until the inquiry in complete. It was the best that Nathan could do pulling what strings he still had."

"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You already have." She said. Setting the mug back on the nightstand, she rose and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you." He sighed, tightly returning the hug. She held him a moment longer before letting go to give him a playful shove.

"Go get some sleep. You'll need it. Nathan's going to be enjoying plenty of beer tonight if I have anything to say about it…"


	5. The Right Path

She's in the forest again following a path that shouldn't be there. Audrey sighed. This was getting old. The other thing that was getting old was the constant bickering she heard behind her. Nathan and Duke had been at it since they'd split off from the group. She should've paired them off with the Teagues. Still, the familiarity of their arguments was strangely comforting. At least they were talking. Maybe things will be different this time. Maybe she'll be able to wake up before-

The path split before them. One way went through the forest, the other to the cave. Cold dread starts to knot into her stomach. Please, not again. Duke moves past her and walks a little ways towards the cave opening. Audrey wants to pull him away, but, finds that she can't move. As he shines a flashlight into the entrance they can see that it opens to a long tunnel. The split trail continues on and on into the darkness.

"I think that we should stay to the right." Audrey says, trying to keep the panic from her voice. Even though she knows by now that it's just another dream, it's hard to stay calm.

"Agreed." Nathan replies behind her. She doesn't bother to look this time. It's obvious that Nathan's eyes are also fixed on Duke.

"Come on, Duke, let's stick to the path."

"Which one do you want to take?" Duke asks, still gazing at the opening.

"We need to stay to the right and keep going." Audrey answers, surprised. He's never asked before.

"Okay then." He agrees with a shrug and turns back towards them.

Tears start in her eyes again. This time, they're from relief. Audrey see's nothing but warmth and kindness in his eyes. This was the real Duke. He wasn't going anywhere. They were all staying together. He wore his typical smirk as he joined them at the fork in the road. She made a point of turning away to rub at her eyes and face as if they itched her. If she got emotional, they'd never let her live it down.

"Well, let's go then." Nathan urges. While he seems exasperated at the delay, Audrey notes the relief in his voice. Smiling, she makes an ;after you' gesture. He returns the smile and sets off on their path. Before moving past her, Duke pauses. The smirk on his face softens as he brushes at a tear track she missed on her cheek.

"I did promise..."

Audrey woke just before the alarm sounded. Turning it off, she rose quietly and padded over to the couch. Duke was still sprawled out on it. After Nathan had left the Gull last night, Duke had offered to stay over again. Initially, she refused. She wasn't a child who needed a big brother to protect her from the bogey man. It wasn't until his third or fourth 'are you sure?' that Audrey relented. She realized then that it was just as much him knowing that she was okay as it was her truly being okay. Hopefully, her full night of inactive sleep gave him the evidence he needed. Feeling her gaze, Duke opened his eyes. As he smiled sleepily at her, Audrey knew that they both had the answers they needed about each other. There were many things about their lives and the future that were still unanswered. For now, however, it was enough to know they were both on the same path.


End file.
